Talking To Myself

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Friday, 1 January 2016

Time to look back on what went last year and what plans are
ahead in 2016.

It may not have been a year where I finished any projects but it
was certainly a year where I revealed things to come and also decided to cut
down all those wonderful ideas I had to just two projects, one an ongoing books
series and the other a digital card game.

So come with me now as I reflect on what went and what is to
come, along with a peek behind the curtain of my mind.

Last Mask Gets
Revealing

My Last Mask novels are still awaiting the sequel to the
first book but back in February I showed some new concept art for characters
appearing in the series. All female and all individually strong characters that
I am sure will add greatly to the series.

I said the show would continue in 2015 and it did, but not
in the form of a finished book yet. The world and the stories constantly
develop in my head. I work on the structure now and then, adding to the
flowchart of chapters, putting in new ideas and refining others. I also write in scenes when I get a strong idea for then and you should see some of them, the second
book is going to be epic and it will be published along with the third, so I
will have the finished trilogy before I put another book out. And there are
also a couple of extra bits to add into the first book.

So the trilogy will
be finished as a whole before I release anything more into the wilds, and then
it will just be the matter of the next part in the story.

Dawn’s Early Light

Moving on to the later part of the year I then revealed the
game I have been working on for the last couple of years, Siberian Dawn. This
is a big project and this year I got to grips with the art of the game
producing a large amount of art for the characters in the game, which I then
started to show on Facebook. I had kept the project quiet for a while as I
didn’t want to start showing things until I felt I had enough, but it was at a
point that I felt it was time to share. It was featured in the news of
ImagineFX magazine and a couple of game site, but as usual with little feedback
from social media.

There is now a game video up for the project and I decided
to push the game completion back until 2016 as there were still a few additions
I wanted to make to bring the game to what I envisioned it can be. There will
no doubt be a lot more I have to do to promote it ahead of release but I am
sure I can make a game the will be one of the best single player deckbuilders
out there.

Grindle Goes
Underground

Amazon started their Kindle Underground scheme this year
where games are free and the developer gets paid by Amazon for the time people
play the game, so I submitted my puzzle game Grindle Oni A to it and now seem
to be getting a regular payment of a couple of pennies each month from them. It
will never make me rich but if you want to play the puzzle game for free head
over there and give it a go.

Discovered Treasures

Moving away from my projects I just wanted to cover some TV discoveries
I have enjoyed this year, recommendations if you are of a similar taste. Looking
back at the TV I watched this year I think there were two series that were new
to me that stood out from the crowd.

I finished watching Sons of Anarchy last year and looking
for another series that had that dark tone mixed with comedy and character
decided to get around to watching Black Sails. It hooked me from the first
episode and I quickly made my way through both series and now eagerly wait for
series 3 this year. It is one of those series with that edge of uncertainty,
where you are never certain if your favourite characters are going to make it
to the next, and I like pirates so that helps.

The other series that stood out this year was Z Nation but
this was one that grew as I watched it. The first episode was very Zombie
budget movie compared to the introspective Walking Dead but as you watched it
the humour was obvious and there have been some crazy moments in the two series
so far which have made it fun to watch. Every series doesn’t have to make you
depressed about life.

Finally...

So with cutting my projects down to two, I will just keep
any extra projects a secret, I aim to complete them this year and make them the
most awesome projects they can be. The Last Mask has some strong characters
coming up and what I hope are really memorable moments. Siberian Dawn is coming
together and I believe it has the potential to be a really exciting project
that adds a number of new ideas to the deckbuilding genre.

I hope you continue to watch their development and that your
2016 is also an awesome year.

Wednesday, 9 December 2015

Facebook tells me it has been been a while since I posted about
Siberian Dawn, in fact the last thing I mentioned was being in ImagineFX, and I have had the next issue since then. Where does the time go when you are not paying attention?

So as the end of the year approaches and it has been
mentioned in a couple of places that Siberian Dawn is coming out this year I
thought maybe a development update might be due.

It's December, I still can't see that game yet...

First thing to say is that Siberian Dawn will not be out
this year, and this is for a few reasons.

I have decided to expand some areas of the game, including additional
missions in the first expansion pack, and with extra bits in the game this means
extra artwork. Now you may or may not be aware that Siberian Dawn is a one man
project so when I come up with a great new unit to include in the game I have
to program and draw that new unit for the game. Adding more time to the project
will allow me to get this extra art done and also make sure the game matches
the goals that I want for it, to be the best single player deck building
experience possible.

With the art I am also unhappy about some of the characters
and again want to spend a bit more time getting them right for the world. The
more art I can put in the project hopefully the greater the experience for the
player. This also relates to the story, and I want to flesh out some of the
background a bit more so the path forward in the game is rewarding experience.

I have had a lot of likes on Facebook but not really much in
the way of comments so from my side I don’t see much of a demand for the game
this year, so again pushing it back a few months is not going to leave many
upset. And releasing a game in December might actually be a bad idea as people
are focusing on the holiday season.

So Siberian Dawn will be out in 2016.

2016 or I will hunt him down...

The current state of the game is fully playable on PC and
Android, but with some missions to add and additional information presentation.

The plan at the moment is to have the base game free with
the Training Run mission, a simple mission, with two units, that will let you
see how the game plays. There will then be an expansion pack that gives you the
rest of the Union and Guild units along with the first chapter of the game,
five missions and a bonus mission.

Future chapter expansions will then alternate between small packs
that give you additional missions, and big ones that add new units and missions
to go with them. The release of these chapters will of course count on there
being demand for extra material for the game.

So you may not have heard anything from the project recently
but rest assured I am busy working on it and making sure it will be the best
game it can be, because I don’t see the point in rushing out something that
will be substandard.

No Siberian Dawn for Christmas...

Finally…

To make things interesting and follow those Kickstarters
with their stretch goals I want to set a little target ourselves. If I get over 50
likes on Facebook I will put up a video of the game so far, a sample from a
mission, and maybe more.

Wednesday, 7 October 2015

In Siberian Dawn the interface
between the Overseer and the world is called the Hub, so today we delve into
the components of the Hub and take prospective Overseers through how it all
goes together to present them with all the information they need in the
missions ahead.

- Select For Larger Image -

The example Hub shown on this
page is for the Resource phase, where the Overseer can buy additional
resources, deploy units, and use the abilities of other resources they
currently have available.

- Select For Larger Image -

1 – Resources

These are the resources the
Overseer has drawn this phase, with the number drawn based on their current
Rank. Any not used at the end of the Resource phase are discarded.

2- Active Resource

This is the active resource
selected, a Guild Scribe. Active resources and actions will be highlighted by a
glowing border.

3 – Action Pods

These 6 pods will give the
Overseer contextual actions that are available with the resource they have
currently selected, providing a quick and simple interface to control the Resources
and elements of the Hub.

4 – Resolve Button

This button will show the current
action waiting to be resolved and is the final confirmation to perform that
action. Overseers have to always be alert with what they are doing as there is
no undo in the heat of battle.

5 – Data Display

This displays the data for the currently
selected resources, giving more information on the item, their status, and any
costs an action with this resource might be. The Data Display will also show
events and Strategic data during those phases.

6 – Current Command

This is the current Command
points an Overseer has. They are normally gained from Logistics cards, and any
unused are lost at the end of the Strategic Phase.

7 – Current Union Credit

This is the current Union Credit
points an Overseer has. They are normally gained from Investment cards and any
unused are lost at the end of the Strategic Phase.

8 – Overseer Rank

This is the Overseer’s Rank. The
Rank starts at level 5 and is increased by unlocking Strategic sites. Rank
determines how many resources are drawn in the Resource phase and also the Rank
of units the Overseer can command.

9 – Overseer Glory

This is the Overseer’s Glory. It
can be increased by defeating hostiles and performing other actions. Glory can
be moved to the Overseer’s Command points and some resources can also move
command points to Glory. Glory can be lost with Hostile actions and if it drops
to 0 the Overseer will lose a rank and a Strategic site will lock.

10 – Area Vitae

This is the Vitae for the area
the mission is taking place in, and is a measure of the energy present. If
Vitae is reduced to 0 the Overseer has failed their mission. Hostile actions
will drain Vitae.

11 – Bank

The Bank is the Overseer’s Credit
reserve. Normally one Investment resource can be banked per turn, and Credit in
the Bank can be transferred to the Overseer’s Current Union Credit pool.

12 – Resource Pool and Discard

This is the pool that the
Resources are drawn from at the start of each Resource phase. Resources dropped
or gained are added to the Resource discards. When the Resource pool is empty
the discards become the new Resource pool.

13 – Tactical Pool

This is the pool that the Tactics
are drawn from at the start of the Strategic phase. Any Tactical cards
discarded or gained are added to the Tactical pool as there are no separate discards.

14 – Current Objective

This shows the current Objective
in the mission and also shows how much of the Objective the Overseer has
completed if it has an amount, otherwise it would just be a 0 for incomplete or
1 for completed.

15 – Bond

A Bond is a link the Overseer can
pick before the mission starts that gives them a connection to one of the
groups in the game. A Bond can be improved during the game and the Mentor unit
has their abilities linked to this Bond. Each Bond also gives a unique bonus to
start that game.

16 – Locked Union Strategic Site

This strategic site is locked.
The Overseer can pay command equal to their Rank plus 1 to unlock this site,
allowing them to then deploy a unit here and also increase the Overseer’s Rank
by 1. Attacks on this site are undefended.

17 – Deployed Unit Strategic Site

This strategic site has a Grunt
unit deployed here. During the Tactical phase the Grunt might be able to attack
the Hostile in the opposite site. The Grunt also defends against any attacks of
the Hostile opposite.

18 – Empty Strategic Site

This strategic site is empty, but
can have a unit deployed here if the Overseer pays Command equal to the units
Rank. Attacks on this site are undefended.

19 – Unknown Hostile Site

This Hostile is unknown. They
will be revealed if the Overseer places a unit in the strategic site opposite,
or they will be revealed in the Hostile phase if they become active.

20 – Inactive Hostile Site

This Hostile is known as there is
a Union unit opposite, but the Hostile will not be acting in the Hostile phase
this turn.

21 – Active Hostile Site

This Hostile will be taking an
action in the Hostile phase unless they are removed or deactivated first.

22 – Threat Level

This shows the current level of
Threat. For each level of Threat an extra Hostile will be activated this turn,
and if it is above level 4, Hostiles might get an action bonus.

23 – Influence Flanks

There are two displays that show
the Influence for the right and left flanks. As units occupy sites and take
actions they add to the Influence for their side. As Influence increases, units
on that flank get a bonus to actions.

Finally...

And there you have the details of
the Hub and what each of the elements do in the interface, a tight integrated system
that allows the Overseer to do what they do. But some keen eyed observers might
point out that there were two pods at the bottom that weren’t explained… well you
always have to make sure you have some spare buttons, don’t you?

In future blogs I would like to
cover some of the elements introduced above like rank and also take a look at
the Fate Helix, the innovative way the game works out the resolution of
actions, but let us know in the comments what you would like to see about the
game here or on Facebook and we shall see what I can do.

Friday, 2 October 2015

Listening to other game designers
you will hear some of the top ones say that when pitching a game to a company
you shouldn’t start by talking about what type of game it is, like a
deckbuilding game, but instead you should answer three questions. Who you are?
What you do? How do you win?

You then go and watch a video by
one of these top designers about their new game and the first thing they tell
you is what type of game it is, but never mind them not taking their own advice
I would like today to answer those three important questions they mentioned, in
this blog, in relation to my game Siberian Dawn.

Who Are You?

In Siberian Dawn you play the
part of an Overseer, one of the tactical experts of the Union who are
responsible for quickly dealing with troubles as they arise using a limited
resource pool, controlled squad level force, and possible support from the
Guilds.

The game starts as hostility has
been growing for the last few weeks in Industrial Habit IH-54 of the Eastern
Zones. Outcasts are rumoured to have been stirring up this dissent and it is
believed they are connected to a cult called the Dawn, Overseers have been
assigned to deal with this unrest and you are one of them.

What You Do?

You start the game with a basic
set of resources that include Investment cards and Logistics cards. You will
then use these resources to buy Union units that can be deployed to strategic
sites, gain Guild units that will support you, or buy higher value resource
cards. During the tactical phase deployed units can then fight hostiles using
the tactical cards you have in your tactical hand, which can also be improved.

Increasing your rank is another
important thing you must do in the game, as this increases you hand of cards
and allows you to command more powerful units.

How Do You Win?

In the game you will play various
missions that will give the Overseer a series of objectives to complete which
have variety and offer the Overseer different challenges during the mission.
Each objective has a different goal that might be such things as occupying a
number of sites, reaching a certain rank, or defeating a number of hostiles.

Once an objective is complete the
next objective is given to you and when you complete them all you are
victorious in the mission as long as you don’t let the Vitae, the life level of
the mission area, reach zero.

Finally...

And there you have the three
questions answered and hopefully I have given you a better understanding of
what Siberian Dawn is all about. Next time we will take a look at the Hub, the
interface that the Overseer uses to communicate with the world, or as some
might call it, the game screen. What are all those numbers, cards and strange
pods doing on the screen, and how does it all come together to give you the
tense game that is Siberian Dawn?

Sunday, 27 September 2015

Looking at the front page of my
website and the news section I saw that the last post I made was two years ago,
have I been doing nothing newsworthy for the last two years?

In this apparently
silent time I have been working on a project I didn’t want to talk about much until
it was at a stage where I felt it would best show the work done. I now feel it
is time to start showing some of this project as you may have seen recently if
you are a viewer of my Facebook page.

But before I talk about the
current project I should probably talk about another project that is currently
on that big development shelf where projects sit until that day they finally
get completed or get buried in the dust of forgotten memories.

Towards the end of 2012 I started
developing a digital Victorian horror deckbuilding game. A deckbuilding game,
for those who don’t know, is a card game where you start with a deck of cards
that are initially weak and during the game you buy additional more powerful
cards to make your deck stronger. You then draw a hand of cards each turn and
use these to gain more cards or defeat various hazards.

After a few months I
had a good portion of the Victorian game working and a lot of the card art
done, but the theme looked like it might be a bit dark for a wide audience.

I then decided to do a game with
a less dark theme and made VludKin Clanz, a lighter card game, although that
theme didn’t seem to appeal to a wide audience either, but I still had this
deckbuilding engine from the Victorian game I wanted to develop. After
finishing VludKin Clanz I decided I would try and do a new deckbuilding game
that was a bit simpler than the Victorian game, and also hopefully with a more
appealing theme.

Developing the Victorian game I
came up with a number of ideas and mechanics that formed the foundation for
what I now call the Lore Deckbuilding Engine, a card game system designed for
the single player, which I could hopefully use for several games using these
core mechanics.

I decided on a future military
idea for the new game as that seems a popular setting and quickly started
developing the game that would become Siberian Dawn, although it has turned out
to be a much more intricate and strategic game than first planned.

Now, two years later, the game is
nearing completion. Siberian Dawn is working, the art is being completed, and
all the elements are coming together. So now after explaining what I have been up to the last few years I want to start sharing details
about the game and talk about what makes it an evolution of deckbuilding ahead
of its release on Android and Pc.

In future blogs I hope to cover the world of
Siberian Dawn and also some of the elements of the Lore Deckbuilding Engine so please
keep an eye here and on Facebook and Twitter for more news and updates as I
reveal the secrets of Siberian Dawn.

Tuesday, 26 March 2013

Grindle Oni A is a game which has
been developed over time, through a number of separate periods that have
produced four distinct versions. Events during this time have meant these
previous versions have not gone further than fully working games to show
possible publishers, but now Grindle Oni A is being released on Android devices,
and in this first developer diary I want to share where it all started and how
it got to where it is today.

Grindle Initial Concept - 2010

Development of the Grindle game
began way back in the early part of 2010, with the initial idea to make a simple
memory game for mobile devices involving four different coloured grins. The
initial concept screen was quickly produced the next day and a working version
of the game was done within a couple of weeks. At this point Grindle only
featured four games. The graphics were very basic, but the program was designed
to just get the idea into a physical form that could be played and developed.

Grindle Extreme - 2010

Towards the end of 2010 the
second version of the Grindle game took shape. The graphics became more refined,
starting to incorporate tribal tattoo ideas into the style. The grins developed
and a simple menu was built for the four games and the four difficulties that
they could be played at. This version was called Grindle Extreme. The graphics
started to take shape but they were still too dark and the tribal theme could
do with pushing to a greater level.

Grindle Oni - 2011

A year passed and then towards
the end of 2011 the third version of the game, Grindle Oni, was developed. This
version added another eight games to the previous four, adding many new ideas
to the Grindle mechanic. Now players had to move the Grins around the grid,
watch sequences of lights, and match pairs. The vibrancy of the graphics was
increased and the tribal theme was pushed more with the incorporation of
Japanese elements. Four Grindle characters were introduced in this version, and
the twelve games were split between them, giving the program more of a distinct
structure. Achievements and Challenges for each game were also added at this
point to expand the Grindle experience. The whole game was now taking on a
unified look and the Grindle environment was coming together, but there were
still a few more things to come.

Grindle Oni A - 2013

Again time passed with no
development, and then as 2013 dawned work began on the Android version of
Grindle, Grindle Oni A. With the decision to bring the game out on Android
tablets the game needed upgrading and all the art was redrawn for the HD
screens, this increase in screen size also meant the program code needed to be redone,
and it was fully reprogrammed for this version. During this process refinements
were made to all areas of the game. Some of the features in the previous
version of the game were not adding anything to it and were probably confusing
the experience, while other features just needed a slight alteration. The
challenges were now all split into their separate games, with ten for each one.
A star award system was also introduced to the challenges, offering a greater
reward to the player for completion, while giving them greater targets to aim
for.

Grins Over Development - 2010 - 2013

And so now we have Grindle Oni A,
developed and refined since its initial concept in 2010 to be a challenging but
enjoyable test for all players on Android devices. I hope you have enjoyed this
look back at the development of the game and how it has progressed from the
initial idea, and keep watching for more development diaries as I take a look
at how the different elements of this final version of the game took shape.

Monday, 31 December 2012

As 2012 comes to a close I guess I can have a look back on
the year and if it was any good in the end?

The year started with a lot of potential. I had just
published the Last Mask - Tradition on Kindle, excited about the potential of
the novel. A publisher was interested in my Grindle game, and to see it develop
more. And I was writing a short film script for a new director who wanted
something similar to my Last Mask novel, learning how to squeeze a story into
10 minutes. So the year looked promising at that point, maybe things were going
to improve this year.

Moving on a month later and things had quickly changed. The
publisher was no longer interested in the game after I spent a month expanding
and improving it. Apparently it now had too much in it, which was interesting.
The director decided to not use my script in the end, after I did several
edits, but I will just think of that as an experience at writing a film script,
and maybe something will happen in films with other people in the future. And despite
getting some great reviews, from people I didn't know, my novel hadn't done
much on Kindle

A couple of months into the year and the potential of 2012
had seemed to return to the usual situation of nothing. The Last Mask failed to
get past the first stage of the Amazon Breakout awards despite me believing it
was better than a previous entry of mine that had advanced. I released my YA
pirate novel on Kindle a few months later but sales of that were worse than the
Last Mask, and even after giving 300 copies away it still has no reviews.

So
what do you do? There really didn't seem to be much point of committing another
year to a novel if hardly anyone was interested in reading it. I continued
plugging away at the art, but also with little interest from the people who
might actually pay me to do it, and social media seemed to be getting less
sociable. But enough about all this negative fun, was there anything positive
to the year?

I did manage to win a competition this year, for a fan art
version of a Summoner War's card, which will be out next year maybe. I also
decided to start this Blog and build a new website to put all my work together,
and show the world of Winterflood. I believe the website turned out well, and I
don't know if anyone is visiting it but feel it is a quality display of the
various things I can do. The purchase of an iPad also got me back into playing
board games, and opened my eyes to all the different types of games available,
and gave me a few ideas of my own.

As the year draws to a close I have now got back into game
programming, currently working on a big project for 2013. So as the new year
approaches maybe there is potential again, and maybe that potential may quickly
vanish. Hopefully I will also self-publish the Last Mask in paperback, and
there is still a chance that I will return to it next year and finish the other
books. I remain positive for what I am
doing, and optimistic that this can be big, if I avoid people who just want to
waste my time, as that is a commodity in short supply .

I also discovered while watching the Olymipic opening ceremony, as it shared a lot of my vision, that I am not weird but just British. So here is to more Britishness from me next year.

And on that note I end this short review of my year wishing that 2013 will be a bit more lucky than
the previous ones, and that you all have a great one also.